Coughlin: Efficiency Improvements, Declines in 2014

After years of being an elite defense, Notre Dame took a giant leap in offensive efficiency in 2014. In 2013, the Irish ranked 34th in offensive efficiency and had one of the worst unforced turnovers rates in the country. Matt Kavanagh and company showed drastic improvement in 2014, ranking 12th in offensive efficiency, a giant leap from 2013. But were they the most improved offense in 2014?

Below we take a look at every team in the nation and how they improved or declined in offensive efficiency from 2013 to 2014.

Rank

Team

Improvement

2014 Efficiency

2013 Efficiency

1

Saint Joseph's

10.4%

35%

24%

2

Michigan

9.0%

33%

24%

3

Binghamton

8.2%

36%

28%

4

Air Force

7.4%

38%

31%

5

Notre Dame

7.3%

38%

31%

6

Syracuse

7.2%

44%

37%

7

Rutgers

6.7%

35%

28%

8

UMBC

6.3%

39%

32%

9

Marquette

6.1%

36%

30%

10

Virginia

5.5%

40%

34%

11

Fairfield

5.4%

38%

33%

12

Loyola

4.4%

40%

36%

13

Johns Hopkins

4.2%

38%

34%

14

Navy

4.1%

30%

26%

15

Canisius

4.1%

31%

27%

16

High Point

4.0%

29%

25%

17

Jacksonville

3.4%

32%

29%

18

Bellarmine

3.4%

30%

26%

19

Denver

3.3%

46%

43%

20

Delaware

3.3%

33%

30%

21

Duke

3.2%

45%

42%

22

Bryant

3.0%

31%

28%

23

Mercer

3.0%

31%

28%

24

Albany

2.5%

44%

41%

25

Hofstra

2.4%

33%

31%

26

Brown

2.2%

33%

31%

27

Massachusetts

2.0%

35%

33%

28

Pennsylvania

2.0%

33%

31%

29

Dartmouth

2.0%

28%

26%

30

Army

1.9%

32%

31%

31

Harvard

1.9%

35%

33%

32

Holy Cross

1.8%

32%

30%

33

Stony Brook

1.7%

37%

35%

34

Vermont

1.7%

28%

26%

35

Marist

1.4%

34%

33%

36

Maryland

1.3%

39%

38%

37

Yale

0.9%

35%

34%

38

Towson

0.8%

33%

32%

39

Penn State

0.3%

34%

33%

40

Cornell

0.2%

39%

39%

41

North Carolina

0.2%

40%

40%

42

Detroit

0.0%

28%

28%

43

Princeton

-0.1%

42%

42%

44

Manhattan

-0.1%

27%

27%

45

Quinnipiac

-0.2%

33%

33%

46

Sacred Heart

-0.2%

31%

31%

47

Hartford

-0.2%

30%

30%

48

VMI

-1.1%

20%

21%

49

Hobart

-1.7%

30%

32%

50

Lehigh

-2.1%

34%

36%

51

Siena

-2.5%

30%

33%

52

Colgate

-2.6%

28%

31%

53

Drexel

-2.9%

35%

38%

54

Wagner

-3.4%

23%

27%

55

Bucknell

-3.6%

31%

35%

56

Providence

-3.8%

27%

30%

57

Georgetown

-4.3%

27%

31%

58

Villanova

-4.5%

30%

35%

59

Ohio State

-5.4%

32%

37%

60

St. John's

-5.7%

36%

42%

61

Robert Morris

-5.7%

28%

34%

62

Lafayette

-5.8%

23%

29%

63

Mount St. Mary's

-16.3%

19%

35%

Most Improved Offenses

1. Saint Joseph’s (+10.4%): After redshirting the 2013 campaign, junior attackman Ryan McGee had a breakout season in 2014. He averaged 3.79 points per game and was named the 2014 NEC Offensive Player of the Year.

2. Michigan (+9.0%): Ian King, the product out of Cincinnati, had a huge impact for Michigan in his freshman year. The attackman had 32 goals on 101 shots and provided the Wolverines with a threat around the crease.

3. Binghamton (+8.2%): For the second straight year, Binghamton averaged the most shots per possession in the country. The Bearcats did a better job at finishing in 2014, as opposing goalies saved 6% fewer.

4. Air Force (+7.4%): After averaging the 16th fewest turnovers per possession in 2013, Air Force averaged the 6th fewest in 2014.

5. Notre Dame (+7.3%): Sergio Perkovic, in particular, came in and had a strong freshman year debut, scoring 5 goals in the national championship. Notre Dame also had more of a transition attack in 2014 and was a top 5 EMO unit.

Also Worth Noting

6. Syracuse (+7.2%): Kevin Rice took his game to another level in 2014 and is now considered one of the elite attackmen.

13. Johns Hopkins (+4.2%): The highly publicized ‘motion-offense’ of Bobby Benson seemed to pay dividends for Johns Hopkins in its first season.

19. Denver (+3.3%): After finishing first in offensive efficiency in 2013, Denver took its game to another level in 2014, ranking as one of the best offenses in recent memory.

21. Duke (+3.2%): The champions improved its offense in 2014. In particular, Deemer Class (1st Team All-American) and Myles Jones (2nd Team All-American) showed great improvement.

Offenses That Declined

1. Mount St. Mary’s (-16.3%): Mount St. Mary’s lost a great senior class and struggled to replace it in a transition season.

2. Lafayette (-5.8%): Lafayette had one of the lowest assist percentages in the nation. This dodge and shoot team saw goalies save the ball at a high rate.

3. Robert Morris (-5.7%): While Robert Morris struggled in 2014, its four leading scorers were either sophomores or freshmen, giving hope for this team moving forward.

4. St. John’s (-5.7%): While Kieran McArdle had another fantastic season, St. John’s regressed in 2014. Still, it is hard to follow up a season in which St. John’s ranked as a top 5 offense.

5. Ohio State (-5.4%): While Jesse King looked great at times this season, replacing Logan Schuss is no easy task.

Next page: Defensive Efficiency

Brian Coughlin has been using advanced statistical analysis all season. Check out all of his stories here. He can be contacted by email at briancoughlinil@gmail.com and on Twitter @Brian_Coughlin1.